Forever Friends
by Sargon Dorsai
Summary: After ending up in the hospital as a child, Ranma mets someone there and makes a friendship that will change his and her life forever.
1. Chapter 1

Standard Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma or any other anime character. If I decide to introduce a new character, I'll let you know. Those I'll most likely own. Anything else, check out my other stories for the disclaimer there.

* * *

Four year old Ranma Saotome, martial arts protégé and all around cute kid, was wandering the hallways of the hospital. The kind nurse had finally let him out of the bed after taking off the cast from his arms. It had been weird having to let someone else feed him, but as pops always said, "the life of a martial artists is fraught with peril". Which apparently extended to young women gushing over how cute he was in his gi and trying to do all they could to help him get over having both arms broken during training. However, he bravely endured the torture, hardly squirming at all during the week it took his arms to heal. Now that he was finally free, he was skipping down the hallway. At least, that was his plan. The sound of crying coming from one of the open doors drew his attention and his feet traveled on their own until he came to a stop in the doorway, peering inside. 

A girl sat on a bed, all alone. She couldn't have been more than eight years old. Ranma watched her crying for a moment, wondering what was wrong, then eeped as the girl caught sight of him and started crying louder. Not sure what to do, he hopped onto the bed and sat down at her feet, trying to figure out what was wrong with the girl. Tilting his head first to one side then the other, he watched her for a moment, unable to see anything wrong with her. She seemed healthy enough. No broken bones, no bleeding, she even looked well fed, so what could be the problem?

After a few moments of being watched, the girl finally was able to control her sniffling, curiosity winning over her feelings of loss. Through her sniffles, she managed to ask what he was doing there. Returning a winning smile, Ranma replied, "I'm just trying to figure out why ya cryin. Ya don't look hurt or nothing."

Unwilling to go into another crying fit, the girl just stilled her sniffles as she tried to think of how to explain situation. "The doctors said that I have a weak constitution and that I'll be weak and frail my entire life. I can't even go for long walks without getting tired and if I catch a cold, I could die…" At that thought she finally broke down crying again.

Panicking to have a girl crying next to him, Ranma tried to figure out what to do to help her feel better. What would his parents do in a situation like this? Pops would say something about stop being a weak girl and real martial artists don't cry but that didn't seem to apply here. She was a girl and didn't look like a martial artist so that wouldn't work. Maybe he should follow his mother's example. Leaning forward, he wrapped his short arms around the girl in a tender hug. If anything, she seemed to cry louder. Just as he was about to turn away, the girl caught Ranma in her own hug, holding him tightly as if unwilling to release him. They stayed that way for a few minutes, neither child saying a word. Several nurses passed by, each for their own reason, though none had the heart to break up such a cute scene.

Eventually, one doctor decided he knew what was best and entered the room, determined to save the girl from being bothered by the little boy. After disentangling himself from the girl's arms, Ranma hopped from the bed with a smile, promising to return later. "Oh! I'm Ranma Saotome."

The girl smiled shyly. "I'm Hinako."


	2. Chapter 2

"Ranma!" The bellows could be heard throughout the entire hospital, startling several patients and just as many resident nurses. A portly man dressed in a white gi stalked through the hallways, quickly glancing into each room before continuing on his way. A faded bandana covered the top of his head and glasses adorned his face, which he was constantly pushing up. He was Genma Saotome, martial artist and father to one Ranma, who was currently missing, as the boy had done every day over the past two weeks. As soon as practice was over, Ranma would almost disappear.

At first, Genma hadn't really cared what the boy was doing, as long as it didn't interfere with training and feeding Genma. However, he'd just found this rich couple with a young daughter and he needed to show off the boy if he was going to get the dowry for the engagement. A picture just wasn't enough for this group apparently. That had been two days ago and until now, Ranma had been evading capture.

A familiar laughter drifted down the hallway, pulling Genma up short as he turned and dashed towards the sound. Seemed like Ranma was happy about something. That couldn't be allowed. If he was happy, he might end up focusing on whatever it was made him happy instead of studying the art and working towards Genma's retirement. Peeking into the room, he found his son sitting on a hospital bed, talking to a young girl. The elder Saotome frowned as he took in the slightly sickly appearance of the not so little girl. Easily twice the boy's age, so she was useless as a fiancée, besides, a weak girl like her wouldn't have anything to offer as a dowry, especially with no family here looking after her.

His mind made up, Genma blundered into the room. "Boy! What do you think you're doing here with that weak girl? You're skipping out on training. Oh why have the Gods cursed me with such a disrespectful son?" The portly fighter went into an overly dramatic pose that both other occupants in the room immediately dismissed, though the girl did seem to giggle at his antics. Still frowning, Genma reached over and snagged Ranma's gi, hauling the squirming boy from the bed.

"Hey! Watch it pops! What do you think you're doing?"

Ignoring the faint protests and hits his son was getting in on his fortunately padded sides, Genma began hauling the boy from the room. Several nurses stepped into the room, their silent frowns looking down on Genma though he shrugged them off. What he almost couldn't resist was the cries starting to come from the girl on the bed. However, his stomach and greed won out in the end and he strode from the room, though not before his son shot back one last comment to the girl.

"Don't worry! I'll find you again. We're friends, always."

* * *

Ranma bolted awake, sweat beading on his brow. The house was silent except for the buzzsaw snores coming from the giant panda sleeping just a few feet away. Scanning the area, Ranma tried to search for the source of the disturbance that woke up but found nothing. Even the faint tendrils of his dream was already fading away to mist, lost to recesses of his unconscious memory.

Turning his head to regard the window, he noted that there was still another hour until sunrise. Yawning and standing, he threw an idle kick at his pandified father, who just grunted and turned over onto his side, though he did stop snoring. Grinning in satisfaction, Ranma turned and hopped to the window then outside. Just enough time to get some practice and yard work in. Anything Goes Martial Arts Gardening at its best. Twenty minutes later, the weeks were pulled, garden tilled and everything in the yard looked good. Another twenty minutes later and a slightly sweating Ranma was heading in for a quick rinse before climbing back to his futon. Wouldn't do for him not to be there for his ritual morning wakeup calls. Wonder which it would be today.

The brief sensation of flying. Ah. Must be the panda this morning. Changing his direction mid-flight, Ranma managed to avoid the koi pond, sparing the poor traumatized fish. Landing lightly on the rocks, he turned a grin towards his father who had launched himself through the air with a flying kick. Tensing his legs, Ranma jumped into the air and the two began exchanging blows. The morning spar was underway.

* * *

It was midway through the morning classes and it as all Ranma could do to just stay awake. Not only was history completely uninteresting to the martial artist, but he had missed out on some precious sleep this morning. Laying his head on the desk, he was tempted to just go to sleep when the loud speaker squawked to life.

"Good morning students. You will be receiving a new teacher today. She will be teaching you English. Please treat her with the same respect you do every other member of the faculty here. Thank you."

Excited murmurs arose among the students and the current teacher side in frustration. There was no chance of controlling the students now. Sighing, he turned and gathered up his teaching supplies, handed out the homework assignment and told everyone they had study time until lunch.

Everyone broke off into group to discuss the new teacher, speculating on what she would be like and if she would be able to handle the amount of chaos that resided at Furinkan High School. Ranma did his best to stay out of the discussion. It didn't matter to him who his teachers were. He'd still do the homework, get grades just enough to pass, then go home and continue his training, as he'd been taught. Hiroshi and Daisuke tried to talk to Ranma about whether the teacher would be as attractive as their respective girlfriends and each guy was talking up the virtues of his current dating partner as compared to the imagined attributes of the new teacher. Ranma ignored them.

The collected murmurs broke off as a voice was heard from outside the room, though the words were unintelligible. The doors slid open and in stepped a tall woman in raven hair that fell way below her waist. Her voluptuous form was sheath in a yellow dress that was way too many sizes too small for her. All of this went unnoticed by Ranma as he was resting his head on his desk, trying studiously to ignore everything in the world. All he wanted to do was sleep.

A smooth sultry voice purred from the lady as she introduced herself to the class. "Greetings students. I'm your new English teacher, Ms. Hinako Ninomiya." Most of the class was unable to respond, still trying to get over the idea of someone with such obvious sex appeal working at their school. The boys were drooling, the girls were growling, both reactions the tall brunette was used to. What she wasn't used to was the delinquent trying to sleep through her introduction.

Whipping out a five yen coin, she aimed it at the boy, yelling out, "Hapo go-en Satsu!" Ranma's survival instinct kicked in and he immediately bolted onto the ceiling, gazing down in surprise as he came suddenly awake. Looking down, he saw a boy unfortunate enough to get caught in the attack fall over as if drained. Narrowing his eyes at the challenge, Ranma landed lightly next to the desk, watching the new teacher through critical eyes. Something about her sparked a memory though he wasn't sure what it was. That hair seemed so familiar though but he didn't know any older women, especially not someone like this. He'd remember a chi draining technique if it was used against him.

"What did ya do that for?" His voice was strong though filled with annoyance. Never before had a teacher attacked him with anything more than a mundane projectile and they all stopped after he kept catching the items even in his sleep.

Ms. Hinako glared at the student. How dare he challenge her! "You're a delinquent and it's my job to punish you!" She brought her hands up again, wielding her weapon of choice, the tiny coin pointed towards the boy. Instead of waiting to take his punishment like he was supposed to, the boy jumped to the window and out of the way.

"Geez teach. You could hurt someone. Not everyone is a martial artist like me. Well, maybe the tomboy or Uchan would survive that most of the other students would be out for hours if you hit them with that attack. Lets take this outside. I'll meet you there." With those words, he leaned backwards and feel out of the room.

Ms. Hinako gasped and dived towards the suicidal boy, trying to catch him before he went splat on the school grounds three stories below. She tripped over a student who didn't quite manage to get out of the way and ended up falling through the window.

Ranma, already safe on the ground, looked up to see the teacher dive through the window. "Ah man! Why'd she do that?" With a powerful flex of his legs, he leapt up to catch her, his strong arms cradling the much taller woman against his chest. Adjusting their flight, he landed lighting in the courtyard when he felt his burden grow a lot lighter. Looking down, he nearly dropped her in shock. "Hinako-chan?" he asked in shock of the suddenly eight year old looking girl in his arms who he had last seen as he was dragged from a hospital almost 13 years ago.

The little girl looked up at her savior with huge eyes glistening as an almost forgotten memory rushed to the surface, some of the happiest days of her life. Nearly crying, she asked, "Ranma-chan?" At his slow nod, she wrapped her tiny arms around him, "You came back to me."


	3. Chapter 3

Ranma looked down at the young girl in his arms, seemingly unchanged since the last time he saw her all those years ago. How was it possible? Not that he questioned what he was seeing. After all that he'd been through, with Amazons, Chinese curses, strange martial artists, seeing a girl unchanged after thirteen years wasn't that much of a shock. Though the way her eyes were glistening while gazing upon him was making him nervous. She almost had the same look in her eyes that his various fiancées seemed to have whenever they looked at him. When he tried to put her down, she wrapped her short arms around his neck, latching herself to him and snuggling into his chest, a constant low giggle rising from her tiny frame.

Hinako was ecstatic. After wandering and studying hard and alone for all those years, she had finally found the one friend she'd ever really had. Life since that day when Ranma had been hauled away had been long and hard but she had struggled through things until she reached the point where she was now, a licensed teacher in the School Correctional Program. Until this moment, she had never really understood why she wanted to be in the school system but upon seeing Ranma, it all made sense. She had been looking for him. With her constitution being weak the way it was, she couldn't become a martial artist like he was, but she could learn some way to meet him. After meeting the man who had taught her the chi draining technique, she had found a way around her weakness and been allowed out of the hospital. She'd followed rumors of his attendance at various schools, always missing him, always just a few weeks behind him leaving to the next training grounds. Now though, she was safe in his arms once again. She giggled at the way that Ranma was squirming. He was still the same energetic, shy young man that she remembered, though he was a lot bigger now. Another giggle escaped her as she rubbed her adolescent cheek against the smooth silk of Ranma's Chinese shirt, reveling in the feel of those hard muscles just out of sight. Sometimes being trapped in a younger body could be so frustrating.

All of these thoughts rushed through the two people clinging to each other in just a flash of a moment but that was long enough for almost the entire class to rush to the window and witness the shrinkage of the formerly voluptuous teacher and Ranma's rescue of said teacher. It didn't take long for the assembled students to rush outside and find out what was going on. The sound of an entire classroom exiting the school couldn't help but gather the attention of the other students and many pressed themselves to the windows, unsurprised to see Ranma once again the focus of attention. Nabiki went out to the balcony to get a better view on the situation that Saotome had put himself in. Not that she was really concerned about the boy. It was just that any time that something affected Ranma it would affect her family, one way or another.

A certain tomboy was certainly not happy with the situation. Glowing faintly red, her fingers twitched slightly as thoughts ran through her mind of what types of depravity Ranma was committing to the poor defenseless teacher. No doubt he was trying to work his perverted ways on the unsuspecting teacher. And then to see the woman turn into a little girl. No doubt it was Ranma's fault, stealing the teacher's respectable age. How dare he force his Lolita fantasies on a teacher!

Hinako burrowed her face in Ranma's shoulders, constantly giggling in joy, her tiny shoulders shaking slightly, sending her waist length hair flashing over her body. Holding tightly to her old friend, she tried to mold her body to his, fighting off the full body blush that threatened to rise to the surface. It just wouldn't do to have her students know how she felt about the pig-tailed boy. Not that there was any choice in the matter, with the way she was clinging to him. Although even she was surprised at the way she was responding. Maybe this was why she had pushed away all the men who had been trying to get to know her while she was in college. It would make sense. Was she secretly in love with the pigtailed boy of her dreams?

A loud cry of "Pervert" rang through the air when Hinako suddenly felt the wind rush by her as Ranma ducked, bending at the waist nearly parallel to the ground. Her arms slipped from around his neck in surprise and would have fallen from her perch in his lap had his own arms not tightened protectively around her. When she turned her gaze up she saw Ranma glaring at a girl who seemed to be glowing red, a massive wooden mallet held in her white knuckle grip.

"What did you do that for, tomboy? You could have hurt Hina-chan!" Ranma immediately blushed as he realized the intimate pay he had just addressed a teacher, but his stubborn gaze remained locked with the youngest Tendo. Unfortunately for him, that blush didn't go unnoticed by either Tendo sister. While Nabiki merely filed the information away for later review, Akane used it to fuel her already blood filled craze as she stalked forward to finish off her reluctant fiancé.

Hinako squirmed out of Ranma's protective embrace, turning to face the short haired girl trying to kill her friend. Lifting her hand in front of her, she put on her best authoritative gaze. "And just what do you think you're doing, you delinquent! Fighting is expressly forbidden amongst students." Fingering the small coin in her tiny hands, the diminutive teacher tried to stare down the suddenly confused girl.

Akane tried to make sense of what was going on in front of her. Wasn't Ranma just trying to take advantage of the little girl? Why would she protect him like that? Akane's poor understanding of how the world worked was being challenged and she could react in the only way that she was comfortable. With anger. Her scowl intensified as she glared past the teacher at Ranma. "It's all that pervert's fault. I just know he was trying to do something perverted to you." She tried to start forward again to deliver her righteous punishment upon the man only to find that the teacher had interposed herself between them.

Ranma looked on at the situation in complete confusion. No one had ever questioned what Akane tried to do before. Instead, everyone seemed to let the self appointed princess get away with anything that she wanted. While instinctively he understood that he shouldn't just allow himself to be beaten by Akane whenever she felt the need, he didn't want to hurt their friendship. He didn't have many friends and if taking the hits meant he could keep one of those few, then so be it.

Standing in all her preteen glory, Hinako continued to defy the reigning princess of Furinkan High School. Coin clenched tightly in her tiny hands, she slowly folded her arms across her less than impressive chest. "I'll have you know that Ranma saved me from falling from that window. He is a hero and for that you would choose to punish him?" Her frown deepened as she glared at Akane. "It what manner can you possibly find justification in your actions?"

The youngest Tendo could only look on in sputtering confusion. Why should she have to justify her actions? Wasn't she always right? "But he's a pervert!" Her voice, while whining, still had this angry growling undercurrent that caused many of those nearby to back away, as if fearful that her anger might suddenly be turned towards them. With nowhere to be channeled, her anger and frustration continued to grow.

"And what evidence do you have of Ranma's perversion? From what I can see, he is a young man intent on keeping those around him safe from harm." Even though Hinako had only been with him again for a few minutes, she knew he hadn't changed from the caring little boy that had become her friend all those years ago.

Faced with such stern disapproval from one of her teachers, Akane nearly quivered with fury, barely able to keep from lashing out at the seemingly younger girl. Angrily fingering her mallet, she nonetheless backed away, for the moment unwilling to strike a teacher. No matter how far gone she might be in her righteous rage, she wasn't so far gone as to realize what would happen to her should she actually strike a member of the faculty. Glaring over Hinako's shoulder at Ranma, Akane sent a mental promise of pain and suffering when they got home and away from his little protector. For now, she turned in a huff and stomped back into the school.

Many of the students standing in the courtyard looked on in awe at the little girl who got the unstoppable force to relent and give up. What power did the new teacher bring to bear that would let her perform such an amazing feat? Up on the balcony, Nabiki was busy filing away the information for use later. Anyone who could stand up to Akane was someone to be wary of. And even more so, anyone who would stand up for Ranma was someone to be carefully watched. Ranma attracted more than his fair share of followers and to think that teachers were even falling sway to his charms was adding another dimension to the already layered lives of the Tendo's and Saotome's.

More teachers arrived from the confines of the school, scattering the crowd and ushering them back towards their classrooms. Ranma stayed where he was, still somewhat confused by the entire scene. While he wasn't one to deny the gifts of providence when they shine upon him, he was still massively confused about what just happened. That little Hinako had grown up, that he understood. Time passes and people grow up. What confused him though was that she was coming to his defense. It was a change from the norm that left him baffled and unable to operate as normal.

Young Ms. Hinako turned back to her oldest and youngest friend and couldn't help but giggle at his confused expression. The mixture of innocence and desire to understand was just too cute for words. Trying to stifle her giggles was proving to be futile effort but she made it nonetheless, if anything just to preserve her standing as a teacher. She still had to prove to the other faculty that she had a place here in Furinkan High School. Still, it had been many years since she had seen her first real friend, over a decade, and she needed to catch up with him.

"Ranma"

The aforementioned boy looked up from his inner contemplation to see that young girl in front of him watching him with a mixture of emotions that he couldn't really identify. Not that it was any surprise. He'd never really been good at reading people, except in combat. "Yes Hinako-chan?"

Struggling with the blush that blossomed on her face from the nickname, she did her best to control her breathing. Damned older body and those damned hormones that wouldn't go away even when she changed to the younger form. Clearing her throat, she mock glared at the pigtailed boy. "Why were you sleeping when I arrived to teach class? That's not a very good way to learn." Her frown did nothing to dilute the cuteness factor of an eight year old in a yellow dress far too big for her with raven hair cascading almost to her ankles.

Ranma toed at the ground, reaching to up rub the base of his neck in embarrassment. How do you tell a teacher that you'd been taught that school wasn't something you should pay attention to, that it was something the government forced onto you. At least that is what his father told him. Of course, Ranma knew that he was terrible at lying and had no way to coming up with a different answer. So he did something incredible. He told the truth.

For a moment Hinako was silent, completely unbelieving of what she'd been told. She knew it was the truth though, as no one could make something like that up. And besides, she could just feel that Ranma was telling her the truth. Though they had only known each other for a short time, she felt that she had really gotten to know him. She was finally able to get control of her anger at Ranma's father. "Ranma, I want you to listen very closely. Speaking as both your teacher and your friend, you need to pay more attention in school. What your father told you was wrong on more levels than I want to explain right now. If you don't learn while you're in school, you'll have missed a valuable opportunity to become a better person. Think of school as just another type of martial arts. There is a reason they are called Martial Arts Schools, because they are all about learning and the value of learning.

"If you applied the same attitude you have about martial arts schools to this one, you have the potential to become more than you could ever imagine. There are worlds out there beyond martial arts and if you look and learn hard enough, you can even see the way that they tie into your martial arts."

By the time she had finished speaking, Ranma was left wide-eyed. Everything he had been taught about school had been completely thrown out, leaving him with so many questions and no answers. Before he had a chance to voice any of those questions, Hinako continued. "Ranma, I'm your teacher and I'm your friend. I know you believe that and I want to see you become the best that you can be. In everything. That's why I didn't let that girl attack you. I don't know who she is, or what she wanted with you, but I do think we need to have a little talk, just the two of us. Now is not the time for that. I want you to come to my office after school and we'll talk."


	4. Chapter 4

School was never something that passed quickly for Ranma Saotome. Normally it seemed to take forever for the minutes to crawl by, dragging their feet through the mire of time in a molasses so thick it could be felt. After finally being chided back to class, he had no choice but to pay attention, his shocked mind still trying to comprehend the information that had been given to him by his newest teacher. That same teacher was in front of the class, presenting a lesson to the students on the English language.

Ranma soaked up the information, even though he didn't understand most of it. Hinako's earlier words had really hit home, forcing him to reevaluate the lessons by which he had guided his life. Absently filing away everything he heard in class for later review, the pigtailed martial artist focused his attention inwards, holding up each concept by which he governed his life, comparing it to the advice given to him by Hinako. How did he stand up when evaluated by the precepts of learning all you can? Other than martial arts, what could he really do? Who was he?

A sudden pause in the background drone of information caught Ranma's attention, forcing him to quickly review the last few seconds of his life before realizing that he'd been asked a question about the latest homework assignment. Reaching up to rub the back of his neck just below the pigtail, he fought off a blush. "Um… I wasn't able to get to the homework. I was attacked on the way home by a strange martial artist using flying paper as a weapon and by the time I managed to drag myself home, I had completely forgotten about the assignment."

Little Hinako frowned at her friend. That was a terrible excuse. Did he actually think she would believe that, especially after their talk in the courtyard? She was hurt and was about to call him on it when she was interrupted by a bellowing student.

"You lying pervert! You were out with one of your floozies again, weren't you? I bet it was that slut Shampoo! You two timing jerk."

Heads around the room snapped towards the raging Tendo, students trying to slide their desks away without drawing attention to themselves. Whenever Mount Akane started to blow, there was no telling where the fallout could land. Not that anyone else had ever been hurt, but only because Ranma had been there to absorb or deflect all the damage. This time was different though. The slap of wood impacting on wood echoed throughout the room, right on the heels of Akane's declaration. Those same heads swiveled towards the front of the class room, where Hinako stood, a yard stick in her hands, the instrument still quivering from where she had smacked it against the top of her desk.

"Miss Tendo, yelling and making accusations will not be tolerated in this class room, do I make myself clear?" The stern look was a little less daunting due to its cute packaging, but the affect was more than evident upon the recipient. Akane looked as dumbfounded now as she had during the earlier interruption of her just accusations. Miss Hinako continued to glare at the student as Akane tried to get her mouth working past the shock. What type of twilight zone was this?

Sensing an opportunity to earn herself points with Ranma by coming to his defense, Ukyo Kounji, the Master of the Okonomiyaki based school of Martial Arts, stood up from her desk, sliding the chair back with perhaps a little more force than neccassary. Had to get Ranma's attention after all. Turning to her irate competitor, Ukyo allowed her own smirk to grow. "Funny you should try and say that Akane, considering that you were there when he got attacked. I managed to arrive at the tail end of that match, though Ranma didn't seem to have any problems with the challenger, from what I could see."

The revelation of her own mistakes didn't sit well with Akane and she tried to brush it off with a growl and a frown, her anger surrounding her in an aura of red for all to see. Try to deny it as much as she wanted, she found that the events came clearly to her mind when they were forced. With an indignant huff, she flounced back into her chair, all the while grumbling under her breath. As far as she cared, Ranma was still a lying pervert, regardless of the truth.

After a pregnant pause in the rumbling from the volatile volcano that is the youngest Tendo, the rest of the student body realized that nothing was going to happen. No mallets were going to fly and no other blunt objects of bodily mayhem were going to collide with the pigtailed martial artist. With the show over, everyone seemed content to let things go back to normal.

There was one person though who wasn't content to just let things lie. Miss Hinako stood at the front of the classroom facing a quandary. While she knew Ranma wasn't likely to lie, especially with something so obviously fabricated, his story had just been substantiated by two different individuals, two who appeared to have no reason to agree with each other. That alone spoke for the honesty of Ranma's story, though it still didn't excuse him of having forgotten the homework. No, the quandary was what to do about the two supporters, though one seemed a mite reluctant on her part. While the rules said one thing about people who disrupted class, she wanted to support them for supporting Ranma. After weighing the consequences in her mind, Hinako finally decided that she had to uphold her standing as a teacher.

" Miss Tendo, Miss Kounji, disrupting class, especially in such a violent manner, will not be tolerated. I want you both to go into the hall and think about your actions until I call you back in."

Both mentioned women looked at the teacher in shock for a moment before slowly standing from their desks and making their way to the hall, all the while staring confused at the teacher. There was the sound of another chair scraping on the floor as it was backed away from a desk. The girls and the rest of the students looked over to see Ranma standing as well, his head hanging slightly as he began to work his way through the desks.

"And just where do you think you're going, Mister Saotome?" The teacher's words cut through the heavy atmosphere, drawing all attention to the diminutive figure. Ranma stopped in his tracks, looking at the teacher in confusion.

"Um, out to the hall?" Not the most intelligent of answers but then again, Ranma had only been trying to think more for a mere half hour at most. Not quite long enough to develop a more advanced response list. Ranma cocked his head to the side, regarding his friend and teacher and wondering what was going on. Wasn't he always sent to the hall whenever something happened, whether it was his fault or not?

"Mister Saotome, please take your seat again. I won't have you disrupting the class like the two who are already on their way to the hall." Everyone looked at the teacher as if she'd grown another head. Or maybe not. That would have been a little easier to accept than someone who was actively standing up for Ranma. The divergence from the norm was enough to send many of the students into a soft panic, checking the window for other signs of the apocalypse that was no doubt on its way to destroy the world as they knew it.

With no other response than a short nod, Ranma slowly slid back into his chair, watching as both of his surprised fiancées headed out the door and into the hallway, though not before casting another withering glare at Ranma's back, courtesy of one Akane Tendo. Ranma merely sighed and tried to pay more attention to the teacher, especially since he had forgotten his homework. A small voice broke him out of his concentrated state. "And next time, I expect you to complete your homework, rogue martial artist or not."

Sigh. So much for getting out of his homework.

Out in the hallway, two young women were quietly contemplating the new situation. Well, one was quiet, the other muttering slightly under her breath. Not that she would admit that anything was her fault. It was Ranma's fault for tricking her into shouting in class. And why wasn't he out here with them? It was all his fault that she had yelled, especially with the way that he had been flirting with the teacher. Just because he had beaten some rank amateur martial artist didn't mean that he was anyone that warranted special attention. She could have taken that paper throwing pansy.

Ukyo's thoughts had taken a ride upon a much different train. Just why had the teacher supported Ranma and not them? This was a departure from the status quo and could possibly spell disaster. Or maybe it could be used to her advantage. Pausing in her ruminations, she glanced over at Akane, who was still muttering to herself. Hmm… perhaps there is a way that she could use the new teacher's stance to help further things with Ranma by showing Akane to be the untrusting and insecure girl that she really is. This would take careful planning so as not to get herself in any more trouble than she already is. The problem was in getting Akane to explode without reacting to it. But how to train herself against the knee jerk reaction to Akane's meddling?

While Ukyo tried to work out how to best take advantage of the situation, Ranma was still trying to figure out what had happened to his world. Watching Hinako teaching was only occupying a little of his attention, leaving him more than enough mindset to keep worrying about what was going on. So many things had changed with the arrival of his first friend that he wasn't sure what was really going on. He needed the day to end so he could talk to her about it and get a grip on the situation. A change of this magnitude had to be handled correctly or there would be hell to pay.

The door to Hinako's office stood closed, a wooden sentinel guarding the inner sanctum to a place that Ranma had never imagined himself being invited. How long had he been standing there, waiting for some random monster or martial artist to attack, anything to delay the inevitable. Not that he was really afraid of his teacher. Hinako was his first friend ever, after all. Instead, it was if he was hoping to delay the change that would come with him entering that room, a change that he knew would echo across his life. Already, the words she had shared with him earlier had changed him in a way that he was still trying to comprehend. The sound of someone moving around the office caught Ranma's attention and he knew that there was no more putting it off. And besides, this was his friend. What was the worst that could happen?

A knocking at the door alerted Hinako to the presence of her friend and she turned to the door with a smile on her face as she called for him to enter. The door slowly slid open and she held her breath as she beheld the form framed in the doorway. Ranma's hair was bound into a short pigtail that was pulled forward over his shoulder, the raven strands of hair a sharp contrast to the bright red silk of his Chinese shirt. His eyes were like brilliant sapphires, an ocean of emotions within those shimmering orbs as he caught sight of his friend and teacher.

Hinako couldn't help but find herself thinking about the first time they had ever met and the feelings that had been with her ever since. Those feelings only had a moment to settle before she managed to force them to the back of her mind. Now was definitely not the time to be mooning over her first (and only) crush. Motioning to the chair near her desk, she turned to the pile of papers in front of her, a frown marring her young face.

Ranma watched his teacher and friend, still amazed that she didn't look a day older then when he had last seen her. To his eyes she was still the nice eight year old girl he had met in the hospital thirteen years ago. Although the form she had originally when she was in the class room definitely wasn't that of an eight year old. She must have been in her late twenties at that point, but it made no sense to him. Though he wasn't exactly sure how old she was supposed to be anymore. How old was she if she was still older than him? Or had she eaten some magic mushrooms? Or… he trailed off as he noticed Hinako tapping the pile of papers. He noticed his name scrawled across the top of several file folders. "Um… what are those?"

Turning her gaze to the pile, Hinako frowned again. "These are your performance and attendance records. I must say I'm disappointed. Not that I'm surprised, based on what you told me earlier. I haven't had a chance to read through everything yet, only skimmed through, but from what I can see you have a habit of fighting and skipping school. Neither of those activities will be tolerated in my classroom." She really hated to spell things out like that but if she wanted to help her friend and do her job she needed him to be a productive student. For some reason, the other students seemed to look up to him. She could tell from the way the other students watched him in the class.

Ranma wasn't really sure how to reply. How do you tell your teacher, who happens to be your friend, that you skipped school because of rogue princes and martial artists kidnapping the tomboy? Or various challenges that could only be handled by him? She hadn't even believed his earlier excuse for forgetting the homework. Sighing internally, he tried to think of his words before just blurting out the first thing that came to his mind.

"Um… it's not that I try to skip school, it's just that my fights always seem to damage the area around me and I don't want others to get hurt. And sometimes I need to travel to help others." Reaching up to rub the back of his neck, Ranma turned his smile toward Hinako. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff that goes on around here."

Hinako blinked in surprise, sensing the sincere honesty radiating from Ranma's words. He really believed that all the stuff that happened would prevent him from getting his homework done, or helping him to forget that he even had any homework. Just what kind of life was her friend living in, anyway? Mentally shaking away those questions, she simply nodded and turned her attention back to the pile of papers on her desk. Slowly tapping one tiny finger against the massive pile, she tried to think of a way to help Ranma without seeming to single him out from the student body.

"Well, is there anyone you trust who can bring your assignments home for you and remind you that you need to get them done?" It was a simple question but there was no way that she could have realized just how serious of a problem she had just opened up for the pig tailed martial artist.

Rubbing his chin in thought, Ranma turned his gaze towards the ceiling, as if trying to draw some inspiration from the heavens. With none forthcoming, he instead turned his tactical mind to examining all those involved in his life and the pros and cons to each. "Akane could do it if she wasn't just as likely to throw them right back at me. Or maybe Nabiki but I can't afford her rates, especially since she raised them the last time she had to help me with my homework. Can't ask Ucchan because of Akane. And none of Akane's friends would help either, because of Akane. Maybe Hiro or Di but not sure either of them would be much help…" he trailed off at the incredulous look on his teacher's face.

Shrugging sheepishly, Ranma looked down at his hands in his lap. "Well, the only person I can really trust is Kasumi, but I can't ask her to come all the way here just to get my homework." What he left unsaid was that he felt Kasumi did more than her share of the work as it was, even with him doing his part from time to time. Glancing back up at his friend, he tried to suppress the gibber of fright at the sight of the disappointed frown on Hinako's face.

"Ranma. I'm not sure what's going on in your life, but you're going to have to meet me at least halfway on this, okay? Now, I'm going to give you the homework assignment again, since I noticed you didn't have it when you left the room." Reaching into her desk, Hinako pulled out the assignment and slid it across the table to Ranma, who gingerly took it what slight trepidation.

"Now Ranma, I want your word that you'll finish this assignment for tomorrow when you come to class. No matter what type of challenge you might come across." The seriousness of her look was more than enough to convince Ranma to agree. With that said, Hinako shooed her friend from the room, waiting until the door closed to sigh deeply. Things were sure gonna be interesting having Ranma around again.

* * *

Author's Notes:

Wow it's been a long time since I've updated. I'm finally writing again. Thank you to all the people who have supported me, reviewing my stories and urging me to keep writing. Sorry that it took so long. I promise it won't take nearly as long for the next updates to this and my other stories. Also, please look for my forum about these stories and more and as always, please review!


	5. Chapter 5

Sunlight streamed down on the beautiful day in Nerima, Japan. The birds were singing, people walked around in happy little groups, chattering back and forth about the rumors of the day. All in all, the world was at peace and there seemed little that could disturb it. Hence the reason that Ranma was sticking to the shadows, his eyes darting to every nook and cranny in sight, scanning for trouble. A bead of sweat trickled down his brow as he inched forward, glancing across the deserted street. His backpack was clutched nervously in his hand instead of slung over his back where it should be, the precious cargo still safe. How long that would last, Ranma wasn't sure but he had given his word and Ranma Saotome always kept his word.

Taking a deep breath, Ranma jumped across the street, clearing the road in a single bound and quickly taking to the rooftops. A burst of speed had him quickly heading towards the Tendo Dojo, his home for over a year. Stretching his senses to their fullest, he focused on his surroundings, taking special care that no one could sneak up on him. Detecting the presence of a certain buxom amazon directly in his path, Ranma veered off course, taking a longer route to avoid any trouble. Not that he really minded the girl but right now he didn't need the confusion and distraction.

Ranma's danger sense flared again and he turned his head to see a diminutive figure hopping along the rooftops in the distance, a large bundle slung over his shoulder. For a moment, Ranma was mixed in what he needed to do, his sense of honor warring with his scenario. On one hand, he had promised to protect his homework and make an effort to complete it for tomorrow. On the other hand, there was the old letch, out on one of his panty raids. Sighing and giving in to the inevitable, Ranma shrugged into his backpack and made his way towards the Grand Master of the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts, Happosai, the number one menace in the district and all around dirty old man.

No one knew just how old Happosai really was, but the claims of being over three hundred seemed to be substantiated by the only other person in the area who could rival him in terms of ability. Elder Ku Lohn, Amazon Matriarch and owned of the Cat Café, was perhaps the only other person in Nerima who could match Happosai in sheer power and skill. Both were several centuries old and both managed to make Ranma's life miserable, even if they did help from time to time.

All of that meant that Ranma's life was just more complicated. Frowning ever so slightly, Ranma roof hopped on a intercept course, catching the panty thief across the back with a well placed kick, knocking the old man off the roof and into the waiting arms ( and weapons ) of the mob of women who had been following close behind.

Ranma watched the display nervously, knowing he should have left while the old letch was being handled by the righteous womanly justice. Knowledge of what the Master was capable of was what kept Ranma from turning his back on the man, even if he seemed completely occupied. When the women finally cleared out, their underwear liberated, Happosai popped out of the hole in the ground that he'd been beaten into, looking none the worse for wear. Pulling out his pipe, Happosai watched Ranma for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his wrinkled face.

"So my boy, you obviously wanted to talk to me, since you stuck around instead of waiting for me to find you for what you did." A small ring of smoke rose from the pipe as the Grand Master of Martial Arts considered Ranma for a moment, waiting for an answer.

Blinking in surprise, Ranma gaped at the old man. Wanting to talk to the old pervert? Why would he want… he trailed off as his eyes widened in surprise. "Yeah, I guess I do have something I need to talk to you about. Not even sure why I stopped. I mean, I can't let you go around stealing panties like that but I wanted to ask you some questions too." Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, Ranma tried to find the words to give form to the questions within.

Happosai hid his surprise, though he did suck harder on his pipe. Ranma asking for help meant one of two things. Either a rival, new or old, who is too powerful to be beaten without a training trip or new technique. Or some form of change that he didn't want getting back to his old man. The former was the most likely as Ranma seemed to draw more combatants than anyone had right to. However, Ranma seemed to be perfectly fine and Happosai hadn't felt any new powerful auras in the area. That left some form of change coming over the pigtailed boy and for the life of him, the old man had no idea what would happen. "Well, out with it, boy." No sense in letting Ranma know he actually cared.

Shaking his head, Ranma turned to leave. "Bah, I don't know why I thought you could help. I'm gonna head home before something comes up. I promised Hinako-chan that I would have my homework ready for tomorrow." Before he could take another step, Ranma found himself suddenly facing the old letch.

"Did you just say Hinako? As in Hinako Ninomiya?" The seriousness in the words and the way the old man looked threw Ranma for a loop as he slowly nodded. Dropping into a defensive stance by instinct, Ranma watched Happosai for any sign of trouble. There was no way that he was going to let the old pervert near his friend.

Chuckling quietly to himself, Happosai was skipping along the road, humming cheerfully to himself, thinking about the first time he had met the little girl with the wasting sickness. Those thoughts were interrupted as he had to deflect a kick from Ranma. He glared at the boy. "What was that for?"

"You leave Hinako-chan alone, you old letch!" For some reason he didn't understand, Ranma found himself upset at the thought of Happosai getting anywhere close to his friend. Wisps of ki leaked into the air, surrounding Ranma in a slightly hazy blue aura that seemed laced lightly with red. The seriousness in his gaze was more than equal to that of Happosai from a moment ago. Did he really care about Hinako so much that he would go against the old letch for her? Ranma tried to compare his feelings for Hinako against those he felt for Akane or anyone else he would defend against Happosai for.

Several faces flashed through his mind in the moment it took Ranma to watch Happosai for a reaction. Akane, Ukyo, Xian Pu, Nabiki, Kasumi, Hinako. The faces of his friends and the people he cared about. She was more than his friend and he wasn't really sure what that meant for him. Shaking his head to rid himself of the confusing thoughts, he narrowed his eyes at the grand master. It was his move.

Happosai couldn't hold back anymore, his laughter escaping in a series of cackles that set Ranma's nerves on edge. "Hinako-chan is it, my boy? Well now, this does explain a few things. I've known little Hinako for a long time. Tell me, does she still revert back to child form after using all her energy? More importantly, does she still turn into the gorgeous adult form of hers?" So many things clicked into place. The slight blush on Ranma's cheek was more than enough evidence for the old man. To think that Ranma was the one she was mooning over when he'd found her.

Ranma frown at Happosai before answering affirmative. "How did you know all that? What did you do to Hinako-chan?" It was a struggle not to lunge for the pervert but Ranma was barely able to maintain control, keeping in mind that he had to protect the backpack.

Taking a seat on a nearby fence, Happosai took a long draw on his pipe, flooding the area around him with smoke. "When I found Hinako, nearly twelve years ago, she was in the hospital, a sickly child suffering from a disease that was slowly draining away her ki. She was dying." Ignoring Ranma's gasp, he continued. "I taught her a technique that would strengthen her body, allowing her to draw the ki from people in order to bolster her own abilities and powers. She was only supposed to do it against those who would threaten her, though she did practice on the nursing staff…" Happosai trailed off at the thought of all those lovely panties that he had liberated from the comatose nurses and patients.

Ranma wasn't sure what to think. Had Hinako-chan really been that sick? She didn't seem that way when they had visited in the hospital all those years ago, but then again, he had been pretty young. Could he have remembered everything wrong? Watching Happosai for a moment longer, Ranma decided to leave while the old letch seemed distracted. No sense in tempting the fates any more than necessary. With a burst of speed, Ranma launched himself for the rooftops, fading into the distance as he quickly continued on his way to the Tendo Dojo.

Happosai finally broke out of his reminiscing, noting the lack of a certain pigtailed boy in front of him. Grinning widely to himself, he reached into his gi, pulling out a small faded picture, taken of him and a girl, who, though young, still towered over him. It was a young Hinako, walking around on her own for the first time in many months. When he had found the young girl, she was sad over the departure of her friend, someone she had grown to care greatly about, though she would never mention his name. Putting the picture away, he turned towards the direction of the school. Maybe he should go for a visit.

* * *

A haggard but smiling Ranma finally staggered into the Tendo Compound, leaning against the stone outer wall, just inside the gate. Nearly an hour had passed since he had left Happosai behind, an hour filled with as much craziness and chaos as could possibly be thrown at one person. If it hadn't happened to him, Ranma would have been disbelieving of such a story himself. Haunted suits of armor, giant porcine rampages, eternally lost boys with way too much power, drugged flowers, and the random wandering cat. All in all an average afternoon for him, but just once, he'd have liked to have a promise that was easy to keep.

Glancing at the door to the house with relief, Ranma prepared to make his way inside when the door slowly began to open. Alarms sounded in his mind, telling Ranma to move, to jump over the house, to do anything other than await his fate. Alas, he still hadn't learned to listen to the small voices, watching the door in morbid expectation.

What was revealed was the absolute last person Ranma was hoping to see, especially after the type of afternoon he had just had. His uncute fiancée, Akane, stepped through the doorway, a small black piglet cradled in her arms. A scowl adorned her face the moment she laid arms on the battered boy. Taking in his bruised appearance, her countenance darkened even further. "You've been picking on Ryoga again, haven't you, you pervert!" Her cry echoed over the compound and through the neighborhood, though the locals had long learned to ignore the overheated exclaimations of the youngest Tendo.

Ranma shook his head in fervent denial, but he already knew that the outcome was foregone. Taking a step back, he glanced everywhere, trying to find some form of escape. The angry squeal of the piglet drew his attention back towards Akane. Growling in frustration at the injustice of life, Ranma took another step back. He'd have to deal with the little porker later. For the moment he just needed to survive and make it inside to do his homework. It would be one promise he would be able to keep that he really wouldn't mind keeping, even if another promise was making it that much harder.

Casting one last glance at Akane, Ranma tried a new tactic. Stopping his nervous waivering, he stood up tall, taller than Akane, letting a little of his confident aura leak out to surround him. "I wasn't picking on anyone, Akane. I was trying to get home to do my homework, like I promised Hinako-chan." His voice was a little deeper than its normal baritone, a line of frost laced through each word as he sunk his nervousness into the Soul of Ice, a martial arts technique designed to help keep one's calm in stressful situations and to lower the ambient temperature.

None of Ranma's words reached Akane though, except for the way that he'd said Hinako-chan. That pervert! He had a ton of fiancées and that wasn't good enough for him. He was trying to seduce a teacher too! Well it was a martial artist's duty to protect the weak and that included teachers. Reaching for her familiar anger, Akane took hold of a large wooden mallet, a physical manifestation of her anger, powered by her ki. Reaching back, she let swing at the target of her fury, the pigtailed boy before her.

Realizing that his homework would never get done if he had to make his way back to the Tendo's after being malleted across the district, made a split second decision and did something he'd never bothered to do before. He dodged Akane's mallet. Springing into the air, he vaulted clean over Akane, twisting in place to land facing her, his back to the front door.

Akane cursed as she spun in place, having put all her strength into the mallet swing. Unable to stop her momentum, she was carried in a circle by her mallet until she crashed to the ground, dizzy. Bracing herself against the mallet, the struggled to stand, her gaze drawn to the sound of her piglet's tortured squeals. She found the piglet clamped onto Ranma's anklet, growling in anger. Her world dissolved into a haze of red as she slowly stood. "Ranma! Stop picking on P-chan!"

Ranma just stood there, his arms crossed over his chest, ignoring the pain in his ankle. "Do you see me doing anything to your precious pig, Akane? I'm standing here, keeping my hands to myself. I'm not moving, not saying anything to your pet. How is that me picking on your little P-chan?" Though the words were polite enough, they were filled with scorn, especially that last word. If it were possible, his voice seemed even more frost laden than a moment ago.

Unable or unwilling to accept Ranma's lies, Akane readied her mallet again, preparing to deliver just desserts to her unwanted pigtailed fiancé. A soft 'oof' escaped her as a small black piglet was launched into her stomach. Already unsteady from earlier, she collapses onto the ground, mallet disappearing as she cradled the piglet in her arms. Looking up, all she was able to catch was Ranma's back as he made his way into the house. Confusion warred with the anger within her as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. Wasn't she justified in punishing Ranma for being a pervert?

Depositing his shoes near the door, Ranma shook his head in sadness. Why couldn't he get a break just once? Why was Akane so unwilling to trust him? She could be so cute sometimes when she tried yet most of the time she seemed perfectly content to hurt him, jumping to the strangest conclusions even when she knew the truth. Sighing deeply, he announced his arrival, making his way further into the house.

A tall brunette with hair cascading down her hair in single loose ponytail exited the kitchen, a serene smile on her beautiful face. She focused that smile on Ranma. "Welcome home, Ranma. How was school?" She was Kasumi, eldest Tendo daughter, twenty years old and caretaker of the home and one of Ranma's few friends in Nerima, someone who didn't judge him without learning everything that was going on. Someone who was willing to listen and always willing to help.

Forcing away his upset feelings for Akane, Ranma drew a smile upon his lips. It was almost impossible to be upset when Kasumi was around. "Eh, things were okay, a little stranger than normal though."

Kasumi cocked her head to the side, waiting for the rest of the story. Things were normally pretty strange so that little statement carried a lot of weight. She motioned Ranma to continue even as she guided them both towards the kitchen so she could continue working on dinner.

Ranma shrugged out of his backpack as he recalled the events of the day. "Got a new teacher for English. Turns out it was a friend of mine from when I was younger. I met Hinako-chan when I was in the hospital once when both my arms broke. She hasn't changed a bit since then. Although turning into the adult was an interesting trick. Or is it turning back into a child?" He trailed off as he tried to chase that piece of logic, going round in the circles that made his head hurt.

Pulling out the vegetables and washing them in the sink, Kasumi smiled and nodded, listening intently to Ranma's story. She didn't miss the way Ranma had said Hinako-chan. There was a sound of affection that the boy most likely wasn't even aware of. Unsure how to feel about yet another complication in Ranma's life, she tried to sift through what he was saying and learn what really happened. As Ranma described the first encounter at school and then the troubles on his way home, she was unable to suppress the sigh of disappointment directed at her youngest sister. Oh Akane, why can't you learn to trust Ranma? You're just going to force him away from us.

That though proved suddenly alarming to the eldest Tendo daughter and Kasumi busied herself with the dinner preparations, trying to fight down the sudden blush that worked its way onto her cheeks. When she noticed Ranma had finished speaking, she glanced over to see him sporting a huge triumphant smile. "Oh Ranma-kun, you seem to be happy about something."

Grinning even brighter, Ranma reached into his backpack and pulled out his homework, displaying it as if it were some rare treasure that he'd brought back from a dangerous expedition. Though given the type of day that he regularly led, that wasn't that far from the truth. With a smirk, he spread the documents over the table. "Ranma Saotome never loses!" With that said, he began to go over the work. Several minutes later he groaned in frustration.

"I don't get any of this."

Chuckling softly to herself, Kasumi finished the preparations she was working on and made her way to Ranma's side, resting one hand lightly on his shoulder as she leaned over, glancing at the work. "Well, let's see what we can get done before dinner, then after dinner, I'll help you go over the rest, okay?"

Ranma answering smile was enough to brighten the room and he nodded, settling in to battle the foe.

* * *

Author's Notes:

When I first started writing this story, I had planned in one an actual friendship with Hinako, not really expecting to write any type of romance. And then as I went along, the thought of getting the two together began to appeal to me more and more. Then I realized that nothing in Ranma's life is simple. Will he and Hinako get together? It's a good possibility, but that doesn't mean that others won't make their attempts for the pigtailed boy.

Reading over the story, I'd like everyone's opinions. I know that most of you are looking for a Ranma/Hinako matchup but I would still like to hear your opinions.


	6. Chapter 6

Forever Friends

By Sargon Dorsai

Chapter 6

Ranma gazed up at the night sky as he reclined on the roof of the Tendo home, tracing the familiar constellations with his mind. A mind thoroughly exhausted from one of the toughest battles he had ever attempted. A wry smile graced his lips as he thought back on the way he'd tried to work through his homework and the quiet support that he'd received from Kasumi. She'd always been there to help him and this was just another facet of the wonderful friend that he'd discovered within the eldest Tendo daughter. Now if only he could learn to fight as affectively against his homework as he could against his various rivals.

When they'd started working on his homework, there had only been a few moments before Ranma had first thrown his hands up in frustration. Only Kasumi's quiet and constant encouragement allowed Ranma to continue working, struggling to remember the half understood lessons from his other teachers. The topic was English, something that Ranma had never really needed to work on before and even now he was having a hard seeing how to apply those lessons into his life. Except that he needed to know it for his homework.

Things hadn't gotten any better either once dinner started. Akane arrived on the warpath, her anger readily apparent to everyone as she tried to glare a hole through Ranma, as if by looking at him she might be able to reduce the boy to mere cinders by the force of her rage. The porcine occupant of her lap lent his glare towards the pigtailed boy, though Ranma had done his level best to ignore both of them at the same time. Instead he tried to ask Nabiki if she knew something about the homework he'd been working on.

That simple question had set off a cascade of reactions from the various people at the dinner table. Most of those responses had been shock at first, with the exception of Kasumi, who looked proudly at her friend. Ranma's father immediately growled about how homework would distract from the Art and showed just how much of a weak girl Ranma had become. Soun cried about how Ranma was trying to become smarter though he immediately switched to crying about Ranma cheating on his little girl when Akane screamed at Ranma to stop flirting with her sister.

Ranma had only looked incredulously at Akane, wondering how asking about the homework was flirting. The boy had no idea what flirting really was, considering he'd never had any experience of it himself. None of his fiancées bothered to actually flirt with him, instead climbing all over him like some mobile breathing jungle gym. He did know that homework wasn't about flirting though.

Kasumi spared a disappointed sigh at Akane before looking over at her other sister to try and see if Nabiki would indeed help Ranma or if she'd continue to exploit the boy for all he was worth. The girl had opened her mouth for a moment, a sharp response ready on her lips, when she happened to catch Kasumi's look out of the corner of her eye. Nabiki's mouth shut with an audible click as her mind went into overdrive, trying to process the naked request coming from her sister and surrogate mother. That request said to help the resident chaos generator.

Nabiki tried to fit that request into her understanding of the boy and wondered which facet of her darling older sister was asking that question. The caregiver or the woman? Either way, it was a request that had to be weighed carefully, for the consequences would affect everyone in the family. One glance at Akane spelled out the disaster that would occur were she to help Ranma in front of her little sister. And suggesting that Ranma go to Akane for that help would be just as disastrous. No doubt Akane would try and help the boy only to become infuriated at his lack of progress, ultimately resulting in an impromptu flight though the district for that same boy.

Shaking her head, Nabiki just sighed. "Sorry Ranma, but I don't know anything about the homework you're working on. You'll have to find someone else to help you." It was true, for the most part. She didn't know what his homework was about, because he hadn't told her what the subject was and as long as he didn't explain, she could use that as an excuse. She tried not to wince at the frown that blossomed on Kasumi's face for a moment, but right now, she feared Kasumi's wrath a lot less than she feared Akane's blatant anger.

Ranma hung his head, having expected the answer and yet having hoped for more. He knew Nabiki wasn't the cold hearted woman that everyone made her out to be, but she did tend to shy away from trouble and dealing with Ranma inevitably led to trouble. He didn't like it, but at least he understood it. Leaning to the left slightly, he managed to dodge the porcine projectile that was P-chan then scowled at Akane who had launched said projectile at him.

"Was there a reason for that, Akane?" It was rare for Ranma to get upset but even he was unwilling to take her abuse that much today, especially when he hadn't managed to finish his homework yet. Not giving her a chance to respond, he stood from the table, clearing his dishes without being asked and once again dodging the ballistic pig who slammed into Akane after the miss.

"Thank you for dinner, Kasumi, and thanks for the help on my homework. I'm heading up to my room to finish."

And he'd managed to finish, barely. No one disturbed him in his room after the rare display of temper, and he struggled through the last few questions and exercises in his homework before heading to the roof to cool down and think. Today was as exhausting as any he'd spent in martial arts training, and he knew that it wasn't going to get any easier until he started homework training, only he had no idea where to go for that training. Normally if he needed a new technique he would go to the old ghoul of the lech but neither of those would work in this instance. Where could he find a sensei to really teach him?

The answer hit Ranma so suddenly and so obviously that he nearly fell off the roof. He already had a sensei in this subject. His actual sensei. Hinako-chan was his English teacher and who knew more about English than an English teacher? A smile on his lips and his mind made up, Ranma vaulted off the roof and made his way inside for the night. Tomorrow he was going to begin training in earnest.

* * *

The sun had barely begun to peek above the horizon when the prowler stealthfully moved across the room towards the unaware pigtailed target. A kerchief has been wrapped around her head, doing little to hide her features, especially her short blue hair. Instead, it seemed to frame the look of devilish glee that shone within those focused eyes as she tiptoed closer to her target. 

For once, she'd managed to wake up before the loud sparring penetrated her sleep fogged brain, chasing her away to her morning jog. While she wasn't sure what had broken her from her beauty sleep ( not that she felt she needed it ), she merely grunted at the pig sleeping nestled between her breasts and rolled out of bed, tumbling that same pig to the ground. The tossed pig grunted to itself, eyes still half closed before it turned around the corner into the closet and disappeared.

Unconcerned for the pig, she glared at the clock, comprehension not reaching her mind until the blurred numbers on the digital display managed to coalesce into something discernable. When she realized just how early it was and noted the lack of combat outside her window, she decided to take advantage of her most unusual circumstance.

There was only one person deserving of her ire and that was the pigtailed boy who had done everything he could to make her life miserable. Oh sure he could be nice on occasion but that did little to make up for all the trouble he caused for her. It was the reason she always had to hit him, because he deserved it. Just like he deserved this pail full of ice cold water that she was carrying towards him. Holding the pail aloft for a moment, she gave herself a breath to admire the way her fiancé looked, carefree, curled around the pillow, so defenseless.

With that last thought, she let fly with her liquid missile, smiling in anticipation of the feminine cry of rage soon to herald the awakening of the boy. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw that pail heading back at her. She was still trying to process everything that had happened when she found herself completely drenched in cold pajamas. A pronounced yawn was the only sound other than the slow drip drip of a wet Akane.

Arms still outstretched from his yawn, Ranma was unaware of his close encounter of the liquid kind until his eyes fully opened, offering the rare sight of someone else soaked in his room. Blinking in surprise, he looked around and found the culprit in the form of the overturned bucket. "Geez Akane, you should be careful if you're going to carry water around the house." Ignoring the way the water began to steam around his fiancée, he decided to take advantage of being up before his pops to get in some early training.

Akane glared at the back of her fiancé and wondered just what the hell happened.

The morning flew by for everyone. It seemed like a normal day for everyone other than the strange occurrence when Akane tried to wake up Ranma. Breakfast wasn't as tense as the supper of the night before, most notably do to the lack of a certain piggish influence, not to mention Akane's stubborn desire not to let anyone know about her ignoble experience of the morning. She had yet to figure out a way to make the event look good and in her experience, anything that didn't make her look good was better off ignored or forgotten.

By the time Ranma was heading out the door, for once without his reluctant fiancée, the rest of the household had to suspect something was up with the boy. Genma began to launch into a tirade about proper treatment of one's fiancée only to sputter to a stop at the complete disregard the boy showed to him, practically shutting the door in his face. Worse, it seemed to have been completely without thought, as if Ranma hadn't even noticed his father's righteous indignation.

Just what was that boy thinking, leaving behind Akane like that? Glancing over at the girl, Genma found the same look, a mixture of shock and confusion, and wondered just what was happened. The abnormal attention paid to his homework, the way he'd snapped at the girl last night. It was all beginning to spiral out of control and Genma had to wonder if his retirement was at jeopardy again. Nothing must threaten the uniting of the schools. And there was only one place that he could go to for information about the boy.

Turning towards the middle Tendo daughter, Genma was surprised to see she'd slipped past him without his having noticed. Reaching up to scratch his bandana covered head, the portly martial artist wondered just when his life had gotten so out of control.

* * *

Today was the herald of change for many students at Furinkan High School, for a sight they never imagined had come upon their poor unfortunate lives and each and everyone one of them realized that terrible things were to come, for the first sign of the apocalypse was upon them. Ranma Saotome was early to school, so early in fact that he didn't even have a confrontation with Kuno. That disappointed many of them, as for the most part everyone enjoyed the show. Additionally, many of those same students realized just how much money they'd lost, as there was no betting pool on Ranma skipping the fight with Kuno. 

As the student body began to pray for their deliverance from the oncoming madness, Ranma was walking the halls of the school, looking for a door that he'd only been to once before. It was only the second day that that particular door had had that particular resident and he wasn't even sure if she was going to be there yet. It didn't take him long to navigate the hallways, easily remembering where he needed to be.

Standing outside the closed door, his school bag clutched in his hands, Ranma hesitated, unsure how to proceed. Did he present himself to Hinako-chan the same way he had to the various dojo masters that he'd visited over the years? Or did he treat her like the old friend that she was, like when he went to Ucchan to ask for things? Time to consider was taken away from him as the door swung open to reveal a pair of diminutive forms in addition to Hinako-chan. He recognized them both immediately, though he failed to comprehend why they would both be there.

It was only the smile on Hinako's face that kept Ranma from doing anything immediate and that precious moment of indecision allowed the two grandmaster martial artists to turn their attention from the young form of Hinako to their chosen heir. The male of the group was easily recognizable as the Grand Master of Anything Goes Martial Arts, Happosai, a short, purple clad gnome of a character who seemed hell bent on tormenting the female population wherever he went. The female was just as short and gnomish, and almost as scary. She was Ku Lohn, Matriarch of the Chinese Amazons and source of many of Ranma's most powerful techniques. Though she was also the source of a lot of contention in Ranma's life as well.

In the moment it took Ranma to analyze the situation, he found there was really a good reason for at least Happosai to be there. Hadn't the old man told him just the day before that he knew little Hinako-chan from before? And didn't he say he was going to visit as well? Maybe he got the old ghoul involved at the same time for some reason? It was definitely not the time to jump in half cocked, especially against the two best combatants in all of Nerima.

Seeing Happosai leaning in for a hug was almost enough to set Ranma off but he managed to control himself, just barely, when he didn't feel any of the perverted chi that usually radiated off the lech when he went in for a glomp. Ranma's surprise was compounded when Hinako-chan returned the hug with a happy giggle. Wide eyed and confused, Ranma could only stare as Happosai and Ku Lohn left the office, chuckling at Ranma's reaction.

For the Amazon Matriarch, seeing the boy like that was too good an opportunity to pass up. "Really now, sonny boy, I know I'm a catch but you shouldn't stare like that, especially with such a cute teacher right in the same room." She was rewarded with an atomic blush that had Ranma nearly as red as his Chinese silk shirt. While the boy was stuttering denials, she took her leave, hopping onto the top of her cane and pogo-ing down the hall, quickly followed by Happosai, though the old martial arts master did manage to spare the boy a quick, thoughtful gaze before he too disappeared down the school hall.

Hinako-chan looked at her friend and could only giggle at the cute expression on his face. She noted that while he sputtered denials about staring at Ku Lohn, he had made no such denial in regards to directing that same look her own way. Her cheeks heated slightly at that thought, though she fiercely fought against the reaction. Now was not the time to be a star struck preteen, especially not on the school grounds. Turning to her friend, she noticed him calming down, rubbing the back of his neck as if nervous. Aw, how cute.

"I hope that's your homework in there, Ranma. You did promise me." Her words were said in a light tone and she suppressed another giggle at how fast Ranma was in nodding his head. For a moment she considered asking for it right there, then decided it would be best if he handed it in like the rest of the class, so as not to seem like he was being favored or singled out. Which he was, but it wouldn't be good for him to 'look' like he was being singled out.

Ranma's face lit up in a smile, a little one that said 'I've got a secret that I'm going to share with you… maybe', and Hinako felt her cheek heat again. There was just so much raw energy in that grin, like the rogue of legend who seduced women with a smile. Giving herself a vigorous mental shake, she banished the line of thought that threatened to form, instead focusing on the deliberate motions of her friend. She clapped in delight as he presented the homework with a flourish.

"Ranma Saotome always keeps his promises!" It was a boast as full of ego as anyone could imagine, yet it was presented with such confidence and surety that one had no choice but to accept it.

* * *

Author's Note: 

Another chapter completed! Ranma was able to get his homework done and make it to school in one piece. Interesting how getting to school always seems easier than getting away from school? And just what kind of trouble will Happosai and Ku Lohn stir up for our favorite hero?

Updated: Fixed some minor errors in formating due to transfering writing formats.


End file.
